The effects of a life transition such as divorce on the nature of possible selves, life satisfaction, and coping
Year: 1993
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This project examines the restructuring process of the identity system after divorce.Erikson's theory of identity formation and his notion of the "evolving configuration of roles" are concepts from which the present study extends.The identity system was assessed through Hazel Markus' "possible selves", and by examining the participants' past and current goals.The restructuring process was inferred on the basis of comparison between divorced and married mothers.It was predicted that married and divorced women will differ in the number and nature of possible selves and goals which they generate.It was also predicted that low and high functioning divorcees (their level of functioning being determined by the Life Satisfaction Index), would also generate different types of possible selves and goals.There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the number of possible selves mentioned.In accordance with our hypothesis, married and divorced women differed in the nature of possible selves and goals they generated.Married women were more involved in parenting and marital roles; divorced women were more involved in occupational and wage-earner roles; and divorced women were also more concerned with self-growth and maintenance of their sense of independence as opposed to married women.No important differences appeared between low and high functioning divorcees in terms of possible selves and goals mentioned.Participants also identified the most distressful event that they had experienced along with the coping strategies that they had used in order to deal with such events.The results showed that both groups of women use numerous strategies in order to deal with distressful situations.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Shabnam Ziabakhsh
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W609037948